Pets and Why We Love them

Recently I had a rather upsetting trip to the vet with my 11-year-old cat. She’s been acting strange for a month or so now, and we took her to the vet to find out what was wrong. At the first visit, we were told she had a heart murmur, a complete shock, and they asked us to bring her in for another visit. At the second visit, we were hopeful about potential treatment for her murmur, but nothing had prepared us for the news we would hear.

“Her heart isn’t looking great.” The vet said with a heavy voice. “One of the chambers has thickened and her heart is now struggling to pump the oxygenated blood around to the rest of her body.” I looked at my husband in fear. The vet said the thickening was significant, and she now has some issues with her heartbeat itself. None of which is good news. The prognosis he said, isn’t great, we most likely had months rather than years.

While this has utterly devastated myself and my husband, we appreciate that not everyone will understand how we feel. In fact, some people may feel that this is a touch of an overreaction considering the fact that she is “just a cat.”

What is it that makes some people love their pets like a member of a family?

They love us

This has to be one of the simplest reasons why. Now, not every pet is great at showing affection, however, somewhere, deep in our hearts, we know that they love us. Their love is often unconditional, and pets don’t care if we haven’t washed or what the state of our house is like. They simply want to show us that they love us!

They relax us

It is proven that pets have a great power over our levels of stress and anxiety. Cats and dogs in particular are linked to this. Studies have even shown that stroking a furry pet, as opposed to a fish or a snake, can improve our mood and make us feel better. Perhaps this is a reason why we love our pets as much as we do.

They teach us about responsibility

People often joke about getting a cat or dog before a baby as a first step to try out responsibility, but there may be some truth in the matter. Our pets rely on us to be around, and having this responsibility to think about is a great feeling. You know that you have a purpose, and that you have something to care for.

They are there

I know for me this is a big one. My cat has been a part of my life longer than my oldest daughter. She has seen people come and go through her life, and no matter what, she has always been around. I think this constant presence is one of the reasons why people really love and adore their pets. After all, why wouldn’t you care for someone who is there when you need a friend?

No matter the reason. There is no shame in loving your pet. In fact, why not shout out the world just how special your furry friend is?

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